The loud panting and the pounding of many feet were all that could be heard as Woodstock boys and girls’ cross-country teams thundered into two Marble Valley League titles on Tuesday, October 18 in Springfield. They followed that up with great performances at States with the boys taking second and the girls taking third in Division Two. The boys will continue on to the New England Cross-Country Championships.

Cross Country is a sport of formidable mental and physical endurance but the Woodstock Cross Country team is making it look easy with their undefeated record for both boys and girls.

"This Cross Country season has been awesome. Everyone on the team is equally motivated to do well and reach our goals," says Senior Captain Stephanie Ambrose. The goal, of both the girls and the boys’ teams is to bring home a win from States on October 29. The team gives their full effort every practice as they reach towards this goal. "What’s also nice is that for a race like States, if you’ve been training hard all season and you’ve given it 100% every practice, you know that you’re prepared," Stephanie explains.

The courses are no cake walk. Whether it’s climbing a steep hill, straining to reach the runner ahead or mustering enough kick for a strong finish, it requires endurance and perseverance."It’s fun to finish and know that you just kicked that course’s butt!" says boys’ team member Sawyer Mattsson. The team’s undefeated season has shown the hard work and discipline that has been put into each practice and race.

With the smell of hotdogs in the air and the field lights shining down on all the players, the seniors lost against juniors 18-6, after a stong fight and many good runs from Stephanie Ambrose, Tara Metcalf and Alex Beda.

With her war paint and sleek black clothing, senior QB Melissa Croft had some strong throws, but they were just short of her target. Senior Stephanie Ambrose made the one and only touchdown for the senior team after having a fantastic sprint to the corner, but unfortunately Melissa Croft’s field goal bounced off the bar and did not add another to the seniors’ score. Nicole Stone was the star on the juniors’ side last night, getting two of the three touchdowns, with Sam Harrington getting the third. Junior Katie Leavitt was close to getting a fourth touchdown, but unfortunately ran out of bounds. Laura Boyd was the cheerleader for the seniors, she screamed and waved her Woodstock towel throughout the game.

After the game, the Bonfire was a perfect end to the fun filled night. Many team captains spoke at the fire and thanked everyone for their support throughout the fall season. "I thought it was great. They had a sweet blow torch, and the fire was really hot," Senior Bridger Keleher describes noting, "Its a great place just to hang with friends."

"I thought it was a good idea and it was nice to see people gather together outside of school," Senior Anna Sand adds.